Status quo not enough to give peace of mind in Med, PM says
Maintaining the status quo is not enough to keep peace of mind given the geo-political situation in the Mediterranean, Prime Minister Robert Abela said Friday.Speaking at the end of a Med9 meeting in Cyprus which brought together the leaders of
Maintaining the status quo is not enough to keep peace of mind given the geo-political situation in the Mediterranean, Prime Minister Robert Abela said Friday.
Speaking at the end of a Med9 meeting in Cyprus which brought together the leaders of Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, Portugal and Croatia, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Abela called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.
He said Malta agreed with the European Union stand in support of Jordan, which is offering refuge to people who escaped the war. Jordan is a strategic partner that is playing an important role to bring about more stability in the region.
Abela said that the problems faced by countries in the Med were different from those of other nations. The appointment of a Commissioner for the Mediterranean will give a louder voice to the needs of these countries. The Mediterranean perspective will be heard like never before, Abela said.
The Med9 countries, according to a statement issued by the Department of Information, agreed that the EU should continue to sustain north African countries to address the problem of migration. Libya should be an integral part of this process, Abela said. Ensuring the greatest level of cooperation with Libya, and supporting the ongoing political process there, is of the greatest importance for Malta.
Malta will continue to support the Commission as it engages with the Libyan government’s expressed wish to increase cooperation on migration – building on this summer’s Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli which Malta was proud to participate in, Abela said.
There can be no solution to migration in Europe without one for the Mediterranean, Abela added. And – crucially – that solution can and must be one based on cooperation and delivery with every Mediterranean state, not just those in the EU.
Every country in the region must play their part in tackling the crisis. Each country in the region must be given the tailored support they need to do just that, he said.
Migration tops the list of concerns for many of our citizens, he said. For obvious geographical reasons Mediterranean nations are on the front line of irregular migration into Europe. What happens here directly impacts what happens in countries to our north – and not just EU members.
Turning to speak on competitiveness, Abela said the benefits of the single market must be felt as much on the shoreline of the Mediterranean as on that of, say, the North Sea. More than three decades on, barriers – despite numerous efforts to remove them – still exist. And not just in services.
Small nations on Europe’s geographical periphery like Malta hit obstacles in the single market even in the provision even the most essential goods – such as medicines. We cannot allow this to go on, he said.
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